


More Than PALs

by pikablob



Category: Spirit Riding Free (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Father-Daughter Relationship, Horses, Love Confessions, Other, Polyamory, Queerplatonic Relationships, Requited Love, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28440318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikablob/pseuds/pikablob
Summary: “It’s not a bad thing, I promise. It’s just that, spending all this time with you made me realise something that scared me.” She took a deep breath, screwing her eyes shut involuntarily. “I, maybe, have a crush,” she admitted quickly, “on both of you. At once.”Lucky realises she's developed feelings for both of her closest friends; after a talk with her father, she decides to open up to them.
Relationships: Fortuna Esperanza Navarro "Lucky" Prescott & James "Jim" Prescott Jr., Fortuna Esperanza Navarro "Lucky" Prescott & Spirit (Spirit Riding Free), Fortuna Esperanza Navarro "Lucky" Prescott/Abigail Stone, Fortuna Esperanza Navarro "Lucky" Prescott/Prudence "Pru" Granger, Fortuna Esperanza Navarro "Lucky" Prescott/Prudence "Pru" Granger/Abigail Stone, Prudence "Pru" Granger/Abigail Stone
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	More Than PALs

**Author's Note:**

> Recommended Songs: [Christmas On The Square](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7JdENUs48), [Rainy Day Song (PALs Themes)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnDn_Yh4lKM)

Jim Prescott liked to think of himself as a pretty good father. He knew moving out to the frontier hadn’t been Lucky’s first choice, and that maybe he hadn’t always been around as much as he’d have liked. But she had really taken to the adventure and freedom of the West like he’d hoped, and he had been doing his best to watch over and support her the whole way. It made his heart swell with pride every time he saw her riding Spirit, looking so much like her mother.

Which is why, when his daughter’s behaviour changed, he was quick to worry. Over the past few days she had started acting strange, staying out late without telling him, and disappearing into her room as fast as she could when she did come home. And that spark he loved so much seemed missing when they spoke. He hadn’t seen her around town with her friends either, making him worry she was isolating herself.

So, one evening after dinner, he made his way up to her room. The door was shut, warm light glowing underneath it; he gently pulled it open, concern squirming in his gut.

“Hey kiddo.”

Beyond, Lucky was lying front-down on top of her bed, her gaze down on the covers in front of her. She looked up as he spoke, panic briefly flashing across her face before she managed to smother it, forcing herself to look neutral. He didn’t buy it for a second.

“Oh, hey dad,” she said quietly, “what’s up?” Jim took a deep breath.

“Is everything okay, sweet pea?” he asked, stepping towards the bed. She sat up as he did, swinging her legs around to dangle off the edge of the bed.

“Yeah,” she lied quickly, not looking up. “Everything’s fine, really.” He sat down beside her, feeling the worry inside only grow. It was clear she didn’t want to talk about whatever she was bottling up.

“Hey now,” he began softly, choosing his words carefully, “I can see there’s something bothering you. I feel like you’ve been avoiding everyone, even your friends, and that worries me, Lucky.” She looked up slowly, and he felt something cold settle deep in his gut at the look on her face. Because she didn’t just look upset, or worried; she looked almost scared.

“Whatever it is,” he continued, keeping what he hoped was a reassuring smile on his face, “you can tell me. I just want you to be as happy here as you can possibly be.”

For a moment, Lucky didn’t say anything. In her eyes he could see conflict swirling, an inner battle he wished he could understand. But then she took a deep breath, eyes fluttering closed for a moment, and then met his gaze again.

“Do you think…” she trailed off, hands gripping the soft fabric of her covers, and looked down again. He went to say something, but she cut him off. “Do you think that a girl can love another girl? The way that you and mom loved each other?” Her grip tightened; he could hear the lump in her throat.

And suddenly everything fell into place. Jim had seen how happy his daughter was when she was with her friends, how they shared a bond closer than she had ever seemed to share with her city friends. The idea of her developing deeper feelings for either of them, as scary and confusing as that must have seemed to her, made perfect sense.

“It’s just,” Lucky continued, pulling him out of his thoughts, “I started having these feelings; us spending time together made me feel so happy. At first, I thought it was just friendship, but it’s more than that. I kept imagining holding hands, or sharing cuddles, or even maybe kissing!” Her face grew flushed, and she swallowed, her voice quieting again. “That’s when I realised it was something else; a crush, maybe, I don’t know?”

Gently, Jim reached out and embraced her, pulling his daughter in against his chest. She tensed at the unexpected touch, and he could practically feel her jittering in his arms.

“Of course two girls can love each other,” he said gently, feeling some of the tension leave her body. “So can two boys, or anyone else. Not everyone swings the same way, and that’s okay.

“When me and your mother used to travel together, we met all kinds of people. People who liked the same gender, people who didn’t like either in that way, even people who weren’t boys or girls at all. I know it’s a confusing time for you, and maybe things aren’t easy right now, but whatever you’re feeling is okay, sweet pea.”

He heard Lucky sniffle, snuggling into his embrace. She let out a quiet breath of relief, and he felt the concern that had settled in his gut fade away under a familiar loving warmth.

“Thanks, dad,” she said quietly.

For a moment, the bedroom was quiet, before he spoke again. “So,” he asked fondly, “is it Pru, or Abigail?”

She tensed again, suddenly, and he felt another spike of concern. Had he said the wrong thing? She took a deep breath, and then spoke again.

“Actually,” she replied, nerves creeping back into her voice, “it’s both. I don’t know how, or why, but I can’t imagine being that close to just one of them. Whenever I imagine it, no matter what I think of, it’s always the three of us. Is that weird?”

Jim hadn’t been expecting that, but it made far too much sense. He thought back to the times he had seen them together; Lucky had never been closer to one of her friends over the other, and though they’d known each other longer neither Abigail nor Pru seemed to prefer each other’s company over his daughter’s. And he got the sense, looking back with what he knew now, that they likely felt at least somewhat the same way about her as she did about them.

“Of course it’s not weird,” he said gently. “I already told you, kiddo; whatever you’re feeling is okay.” He felt her relax again at that, breathing another sigh of relief. “I’ll admit, I’ve never met anyone like this before, but I’ve heard plenty of stories about people who had enough love for more than one person.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he continued. “Now, I don’t know everything about your friends, and I can’t tell you what’s going on inside their heads, but I do know you’re way too close to let something like this come between you.”

“You think I should tell them?” Lucky asked gingerly, looking up to meet his gaze. He could see worries still swirling behind her eyes.

“I think you should be honest with them,” he said, gentle but firm. “That doesn’t mean you have to tell them everything, if you don’t want to, but you shouldn’t cut yourself off from the people who care about you the most either.” The uncertainty seemed to fade from her expression, replaced with trust. “Whatever you decide to do, I’m right here behind you. I’m really proud of you, Lucky.”

She turned in his arms, her own suddenly wrapping tight around his upper torso and returning the hug. A small smile settled on her face, all her worries seemingly vanishing.

“I love you, dad.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

Butterflies squirmed in Lucky’s stomach as Spirit trotted up towards the old barn, her resting comfortably on his back. Last night, after talking things out with her dad, she had felt invincible; she had re-joined the PALs in earnest the next day, waiting for just the right moment to tell them. And now that the sun had gone down, and Pru had invited her and Abigail to spend the night in the hayloft, she knew that moment had come. Too bad all her certainty had deserted her in response.

She also knew that Pru and Abigail were going to want an explanation for why she had been avoiding them. She didn’t expect them to be mad; after the whole incident with Pru’s birthday, they both knew she wasn’t going to turn on them suddenly. But they were no doubt worried, and that worried her all over again.

Spirit nickered, dragging her out of her thoughts; they had arrived. She looked up at the barn, seeing the flickering light in the upstairs sliding door, and then slowly eased herself off Spirit’s back. He made another nickering sound as she did, one that was clearly tinged with concern.

“I’m okay, boy,” she said quickly, stepping forwards. He followed, head pressing up against the back of hers as he tried to reassure her. “It’s nothing big, just all that stuff I told you about with me and the PALs.” He snorted.

She turned around, meeting his wide gaze, concern still lingering in his eyes. She couldn’t help smiling at that, at how even her horse was trying to help. So she reached out and pressed their foreheads together, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I mean it,” she said gently, “it’s all gonna be okay.” She wished she felt that way inside. Spirit just snorted again, nuzzling her, and pulled back. It was clear he was still worried, but he trusted her, and so she turned back to the barn and started walking. He trotted after her, headed for his own stall.

“Hey!” she called out as she stepped through the doors. “I’m here!” In the lantern glow from above she saw Boomerang and Chica Linda look up, then turn back to their feed trays.

“Lucky!” She looked up to see Abigail’s face leaning out from the hayloft above, smiling warmly down at her. A moment later Pru stuck her head over the edge as well.

“You made it!” she announced. “Come on up!” She waved one hand in a ‘come here’ motion. Lucky obliged, despite how uncertain she still felt. She turned to the hayloft ladder, scrambling up as fast as the adrenaline coursing through her would allow.

The other two were sitting cross-legged on one side. A small lantern had been set down between them, casting their shadows large against the slanting roofs. She sat down on the other side, letting the inviting glow wash over her. A deep breath smothered the worst of the jitters, and she did her best to sound nonchalant when she broke the silence.

“Of course I made it,” she joked, forcing a smile. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well,” Abigail said awkwardly, “you did miss yesterday’s ride, and the day before. And you barely said anything to us in class either.” Pru shot her a glance, then turned to Lucky, concern rising in her dark eyes.

“The thing is, Lucky,” she said gently, leaning forwards, “we’re worried about you. I know you wouldn’t just avoid us for no reason, so something’s gotta be going on, right?” An uncomfortable sense of guilt settled in Lucky’s mind at her words, the thought that she had made her closest friends so worried about her a sour one. “Whatever it is, you can tell us.”

“Yeah,” Abigail added, a small smile settling on her face, “we’re your PALs.”

She knew neither of them meant it, but Lucky couldn’t help feeling like their gazes were boring into her regardless. This was it, she knew; now was the time to tell them. And she wanted to tell them the whole truth, no matter how much that made the butterflies in her stomach flutter. Because deep down, under all her doubts, she was sure they would understand.

“I’m sorry, you two,” she began, unable to keep looking up once she saw their faces fall. The concern was just too much, so she stared at the wooden beams under her legs instead. “I have been avoiding you both, for my own dumb reasons.”

There was a quiet gasp from Abigail. Lucky went on, one hand reaching up to press against her chest. “It’s not a bad thing, I promise. It’s just that, spending all this time with you made me realise something that scared me.” She took a deep breath, screwing her eyes shut involuntarily. “I, maybe, have a crush,” she admitted quickly, “on both of you. At once.”

There was no reply; all Lucky could hear was the quiet sound of the horses grazing below. Her own heart was pounding in her ears, a quick but steady thumping that seemed to shake her whole body. Gingerly she opened her eyes, no idea what to expect, only to freeze at the sight.

Abigail had gone bright red, her eyes wide and her mouth half-open. A blush darkened Pru’s cheeks too, and for a moment the same look of surprise settled on her face. But then it broke into a warm, knowing smile, and Lucky felt herself relaxing just a little.

“Really?” Abigail finally broke the silence, her voice quiet with disbelief and what sounded like hope.

“Yeah,” Lucky nodded gingerly.

The other two shared a knowing look, the kind that told Lucky there was something unsaid that she didn’t know. But normally those looks were about mundane things, like Turo’s saving up to buy a horse, not her maybe-romantic feelings towards her closest friends. What were they not telling her?

Her thoughts must’ve shown in her expression, because when the pair looked back at her they looked almost guilty. Pru scooted forwards, towards the lamp and towards Lucky, and gingerly broke the silence.

“We also owe you an apology,” she said quietly; now it was her turn to look down. “There’s something we haven’t told you; me and Abigail have been more than just friends since before you arrived.”

Lucky blinked, not sure if she could believe what she had just heard. She knew the pair were close, and had been for a long time, longer than she had ever known them. She knew they always partnered up, when camping they slept together, and whenever Abigail was scared Pru always knew how to comfort her. But she had never felt like they cared about her any differently.

Pru kept talking. “We just weren’t sure how to tell you.”

“Or if we could,” Abigail added, shifting closer so she was right by Pru’s side. As Lucky watched Pru took Abigail’s hand. “Some people are weird about stuff like that. So we keep the most obvious stuff to ourselves.”

“But I thought you two were just good friends?” Lucky said helplessly, still not sure how she could have missed something this large. Was she that bad of a friend?

“We are, kinda?” Pru shrugged, looking up at Abigail, then over to meet Lucky’s questioning gaze. “It’s not a romantic relationship, but we’re as close as if it was. Does that make sense?” Lucky wasn’t sure what to say; it was like she couldn’t put a meaning to the words, with no reference point to fall back on.

“Miss Flores calls it ‘queerplatonic’,” Abigail added. Lucky shook her head.

“What does it feel like?” she asked helplessly, her hands held over her heart. The other two shared another glance, then both looked back at her.

“It’s like we always want to be together,” Pru explained slowly, “like the thought of being together makes your heart race. Like you want to be more than friends but not quite in the way everyone else describes it.” Somewhere, in the back of Lucky’s mind, she felt something click into place. There was something warm and familiar in Pru’s words.

“We love holding hands and cuddling and spending nights together,” Pru went on wistfully, her blush deepening, “but it’s a little different for both of us. Like, I like kisses a lot more than Abigail does, so we compromise.” Lucky had been sure Abigail couldn’t get any redder, but her face flushed deeper at her girlfriend’s words.

“I like them on the forehead,” she admitted quietly, “or my cheeks. Just not here.” She pointed to her mouth. Pru nodded, squeezing her hand. And suddenly, Lucky found the words she needed.

“That’s exactly how I feel!”

“About kisses?” Abigail asked.

“No,” Lucky corrected, feeling her heart race and her own face growing warm at the thought of kissing either of them. “What Pru said, about how things feel between you, that’s how I feel about both of you!” It all made too much sense, like puzzle pieces slotting together in her mind. She felt a swelling of relief, knowing her feelings weren’t unique after all.

She watched as the other two exchanged another glance, Abigail nodding firmly and Pru repeating the gesture. Both turned back to her again, a mix of fresh uncertainty and affection in their eyes. It was Pru who spoke, taking a deep breath.

“We feel the same,” she admitted. “Having you around never felt like having a third wheel; we both realised we care about you just as much as each other.”

“So we talked about opening our relationship to you,” Abigail took over, a smile splitting her face, “but we weren’t sure if you felt the same way.”

“Well I do!” Lucky beamed, feeling a surge of warmth at the thought. Because she knew now that they were all part of a whole, that what they had was special in a way she had never imagined, and that she loved them both more than pretty much anyone else in the whole world.

She couldn’t help leaning forwards, past the lantern, arms outstretched. She wrapped one arm around Abigail and the other around Pru, feeling their arms embrace her in turn. From somewhere inside she felt a laugh bubbling up inside, unrestrained joy rising from her heart. And then the others were laughing too, all overcome by the same feeling of belonging.

Suddenly Pru leaned back, dragging the whole embrace with her. And before the other two could even think they were all lying together on the wooden floor, Lucky sandwiched comfortably between her two partners, a tangle of limbs and bodies all wrapped up in their own love.

Lucky looked over at Abigail, feeling a surge of affection. She gently leaned in, planting a quick kiss on the other girl’s forehead. Abigail let out a squeaking noise, one Lucky couldn’t help finding adorable.

“Can I get one of those?” Pru laughed. Lucky obliged, leaning over to press her lips gently to Pru’s. “Woah,” she said quietly, face turning a deep shade of red.

“I love you two,” Lucky announced. She felt like she could lie here forever, right where she most wanted to be in that moment. Her dad had been right, a bemused part of her mind noted; she had found her true self out in the frontier. There was nothing that could ever make her leave these two and go back to the city now.

“We love you too,” Pru agreed, tightening the embrace.

“Yeah,” Abigail added, “I love you both.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I know the word "queerplatonic" was coined around 2010 - the feeling has always existed and this show is already anachronism stew and I need my fluff XD
> 
> Huge thanks to [reynaruina](https://reynaruina.tumblr.com/) for her amazing art to go with this fic!!


End file.
